EAGAN, Minn. — The Minnesota Vikings took Michigan quarterback JJ McCarthy with the 10th overall pick in the NFL draft on Thursday night, moving up one spot in a trade with the New York Jets that ensures they don't miss out on a big opportunity your best. very needed.
Kirk Cousins' departure in free agency to Atlanta left a void – and an opportunity that Vikings management has been strategizing about for more than two years.
McCarthy went 27-1 as a college starter and won a national championship last season with Michigan, a run-first, defense-oriented team that raised questions about the 6-foot-tall passer's potential. 2, weighs 219 pounds. He completed an FBS-best 68% of his attempts under pressure last season and set a program record with an overall completion percentage of 72.3%.
The Vikings entered the night with the No. 11 and No. 23 selections. After Caleb Williams (Southern California) went to the Chicago Bears, Jayden Daniels (LSU) went to the Washington Commanders and Drake Maye (North Carolina) followed with the New England Patriots with the first three selections, the Falcons pulled off their first surprise by selecting Michael Penix Jr. (Washington) with the eighth overall pick to develop behind Cousins.
That put the Vikings at risk of being passed over by a team like the quarterback-needy Denver Broncos or the Las Vegas Raiders, so they made a swap with the Jets to ensure they would get McCarthy. The Vikings sent their fourth- and fifth-round picks (Nos. 129 and 157) to the Jets for a sixth-rounder (No. 203) to complete the deal.
When Kwesi Adofo-Mensah was hired as general manager and two weeks later selected quarterbacks specialist Kevin O'Connell as coach, the Vikings took aim today with a deep rookie class at the position and the team is at a crossroads after an NFC North title season with a 13-4 record in its 2022 debut and a 7-10 finish in 2023.
The highest the Vikings ever drafted a quarterback before this year was Daunte Culpepper at No. 11 in 1999. They only used a first-round pick on a quarterback four other times in the franchise's 63-year history, with Teddy Bridgewater (No. 32) in 2014, Christian Ponder (No. 12) in 2011 and Tommy Kramer (No. 27) in 1977 the others. Pro Football Hall of Fame member Fran Tarkenton was a third-rounder in 1961, although he was the 29th overall pick in the pre-merger era when the NFL had only 14 teams.
With O'Connell, a former NFL quarterback who directed two of the best seasons Cousins has had in his 12 years in the league, calling plays on the sideline and super receiver star Justin Jefferson leads a talented offense around him, the Vikings have a favorable environment for the 21-year-old McCarthy. They signed Sam Darnold, the 2018 third overall pick of the New York Jets, to close the gap and take the pressure off the rookie to develop quickly.
McCarthy was widely considered the most willing of the potential candidates, thanks to his combination of leadership, intelligence, and toughness. There's no guarantee that the Vikings have found the right guy, however, with first-round quarterbacks' track record of success across the NFL essentially being a coin-flip proposition.
The Vikings added the 23rd pick in a recent trade with the Houston Texans for their second round picks this year and next. They currently don't own any day two picks, which minimizes the opportunity to add starting-caliber players and increases the pressure to hit a home run in the first round. With the offense taking the first 14 picks, the Vikings had the wherewithal to add a top player on defense.
